Burlesque Is Booming

Denver is obsessed with burlesque. Need proof? The vaudeville-style peep shows have been extremely popular here for years, with several troupes — Burlesque As It Was, Oo La La, Oracle Dance, just to name a few — who perform regularly at clubs, bars, and lounges around town. Part of the appeal is that women love the performances, where gals get naughty and nearly-naked on stage as part of scripted musical dance acts that avoid the less theatrical and more suggestive pole-dancing style of strip clubs. But who knew that it would become this popular? In the next week or so there are three separate burlesque events at three different clubs around town, and two of them are regular weekly gigs. Check it out:

This Saturday at the Oriental Theater, the “luscious ladies” of Burlesque As It Was will perform to the live music of local faves the Orang-U-Tones.

On Tuesdays, Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret hosts its Retro Vaudeville Variety Night, which includes two burlesque performances each week.

And starting next Saturday, April 8, the Mercury Cafe hosts Burlesque Brochette weekly at 10 p.m.

Sheesh. And since all these events have a decidedly retro vibe to them, I guess I’d better start building up my vintage clothing collection if I want to hang where the cool kids go. Any excuse to go shopping, right?